Self and b



R. A. HARRIS;

' Refrigerator.

NO. 51,734. Patented Feb. 5, I867.

gutter: rates extent fir/t.

SELF AND B. S. HARRIS, OF SAME PLACE.

Letters Patent No. 61,734, dated February 5, 1867.

IMPROVED REFRIGERATOR.

digs Stlgstnilt nfcrret It in iigese hettersiazxttut ant making and atflge same.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, ROBERT A. HARRIS, of Philadelphia,,Pennsylvauia,have invented an Improvemeht in Refrigerators; "and I do hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to the letters ofreference marked thereon.

My invention consists of a refrigerator constructed in the peculiarmanner, fully described hereafter, "for the purpose of thoroughlychilling the air before it circulates through the several chambers, andin contact with the articles of diet contained therein.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to make and use myinvention, I will now proceed to describe its construct-ion andoperation. On reference to theaccompanying drawing, which forms part ofthis speeifi cationl I Figure 1 is a vertical section of my improvedrefrigerator with the lid raised,

Figure 2 a transverse vertical section on the line 1-2 fig. 1; and

Figure 3 a front view with the lid closed.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The refrigeratorconsists, as usual, of a deep box, with front a, back 6,ends (I d, and bottom a, made of the thicknesses of wood, withintervening air spaces; there being, in front, openings to which thedouble doors A are adapted, and the whole being supported on suitablelegs A lid, B, also made double, is hinged to the back I), and this lid,as wcllas the interior of the refrigerator, is lined, as usual, withthin zinc or galvanized iron. Within the box, near the upper end ofsame, is a chamber, D, for receiving the ice which rests on a grating,h, situated a short distance above the bottom, 2', of the said chamber,in which a channel, j, is formed for a purpose described hereafter. Apartition, 1:, extends from the under side of this channel to the bottomof the box, the latter being thus separated into two main compartments,E. and F, across which extend any desired number of gratings, m m, forreceiving the dishes or other vessels containing articles of diet. Thetwo compartments E and F communicate with each other through holes, 10in the partition, is, near the bottom of the box; and the ice-chamber,D, communicates with the compartment F through a narrow-opening at oneend of the channel j. The end, q, of the ice-chamber D isperforated witha number of holes, so that the said chamber can communicate with a smallcompartment, Gr, having a grated bottom, i; this compartment beingintended for the storage of butter, milk,-&c. Air is admitted to thespace between the two thicknesses of wood which compose the sides andends of the box, at the point x,(fig'. 2,) or at any otherpoint at ornear the bottom of the box, the air passing upwards and through a valvedopening, 0, into the ice-chamber above the ice, through the body ofwhich the air passes, in the direction of the arrows, through theopening '11, into the compartment F, or through the perforations in theend, 9, of the ice-box G, into the compartment F, through the gratings,m, of which the cold air passes to the bottom of the said compartment,and thence through the holes n iu the partition k,into the compartmentE, upwards through the. latter, and through the gratings in in the sameto the exit opening 3 Whatever water drips from the ice finds its wayinto the channel j, and thence throughthe vertical pipe E into anysuitable receptacle, I, placed beneath the refrigerator. It will be seenthat the air admitted from below must first pass through the mass ofice, and be thereby thoroughly chilled before it can circulate throughthe several compartments, in the direction pointed out by the arrows,and hencethat the contents of the refrigerator must be maintained in thedesired 0001 state. Whatever air passes through the narrow opening ninto the compartment F, has first to pass through the ice, and then overthe iced water in the channel j, and must be thoroughly chilled beforeit passes, in a thin stream, to the said compartment F. It is importantthat butter and milk should be maintained at the lowest temperature;hence the perforations in the end, of the ice-chamber, directly-throughwhich the frigid air passes on to the contents of the compartnient;G.

I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- Thecombination of-the ice chamber D, its opening v, and perforated end q;the compartments G and F, the channel j, at the bottom of theice-chamber, and the opening it; the'wh'ole being arranged as and forthe purpose described. I

lntestimony whereof I have'sign'ed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

- R. A. HARRIS.

Witnesses;

C. B. Peron, Jonn Warm.

